Good Intentions
by ImpNo1
Summary: One-shot. Jimmy gives his friends a push in the right direction.


Good Intentions

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing.

**Rating**: T

**Note**: _Infamous _put me in the mood to write. Shamelessly fluffy. It wasn't originally supposed to have Jimmy in it, but he just seems to pop up in everything I try to write. No idea where this came from. I just started writing something that was supposed to be a one page humor piece with Jimmy and Lois, and it expanded.

**Dedication**: For Gabby (Welcome Back) and Angela (Happy Birthday).

**Pairings**: Clark/Lois, Jimmy-Lois friendship

**Genre(s)**: Romance/Friendship

**Word Count**: 1,351

[ImpNo1]

I.

"I just don't get it," she says, slamming her coffee mug down on the break room counter. "Is he just stupid, or is it me? I mean, am I going crazy or something?"

Jimmy shakes his head gravely.

"You're not going crazy, Lois. He really does care about you, he's just… Clark. You know he has good intentions."

She scoffs, annoyed, and runs the mug under cold water.

"I don't get him. I mean, he goes and acts like actually might want to at least _talk _about what happened at your wedding, and then he cancels on me! I mean, for Heaven's sakes! It was just _coffee_! It's not like I asked him to marry me or anything!"

Jimmy pats her consolingly on the shoulder.

"Men," he announces, "are idiots."

Which makes Lois smile, yeah, but Jimmy can't help but notice the tears in her eyes.

And Jimmy's pretty sure he won't be able to stand seeing Lois Mad-Dog Lane cry. He doesn't do tears anyway.

"Hey," he says. "He'll come around. And if he doesn't, I'll kick his ass for you. Deal?"

Lois stares at him, shocked, for a minute, then laughs and shakes her head.

"Deal," she says.

II.

Jimmy doesn't really do confrontation very well.

So he really doesn't get why he's standing here, except that Lois has been overworking herself, and there's bags under her eyes, and the other day he caught her walking out of the break room with red puffy eyes and flushed cheeks.

He and Lois have never exactly been friends, what with her originally being against his and Chloe's wedding, but waking up in Star City with his wife God-knows-where and his cousin-in-law hugging him and telling him how glad she is that he's awake and how worried she's been kind of changes things.

Plus, Lois is pretty cool.

So Jimmy raps his knuckles on the door and waits.

Clark opens it, wearing pajamas and still half asleep, and says,

"Jimmy? It's midnight."

Jimmy nods and brushes past him into the house.

Clark's got this look on his face that says, "What the Hell?", but he closes the door obediently, and follows Jimmy into the living room.

"We have to talk," Jimmy says.

"About…?"

"Lois," Jimmy states matter-of-factly.

Clark swallows, then turns and walks into the kitchen.

"There's nothing to talk about, Jimmy," Clark responds, filling up a glass with water.

"Oh yeah?" Jimmy says, knowing full well that Lois is going to murder him for this and not really sure if he cares. "Lois doesn't seem to think so."

Clark tries to look nonchalant, and fails miserably.

"Mmm? What'd she say?"

Jimmy shakes his head.

"That's confidential information, C.K. Maybe you should ask _her_."

Clark sighs and runs a hand through his hair.

"Jimmy, there's nothing between Lois and me. I…" he says, and his voice trails off.

"You…? See. That's the point, C.K. You are officially out of excuses. She's crazy for you, you're in love with her, what's the problem here? I know you don't still have those kind of feelings for Lana, so you can't use THAT excuse. You and Lois are perfect for each other. You have to at _least_ talk to her!" Jimmy argues.

Clark looks like he might protest, so before he can speak, Jimmy pulls out the big guns.

"Plus, you made her cry."

Clark's eyebrows shoot up then, and he looks horrified.

Not to mention hugely guilty.

"Really?" he asks.

Jimmy nods grimly.

Clark sighs, for like, the billionth time.

"Okay," he finally agrees. "I'll talk to Lois."

Jimmy grins, then realizes something.

"Please don't tell Lois anything I said!" he begs.

Clark smiles.

"I won't. Wouldn't want her to kill you or anything."

III.

Clark spends all week feeling like an asshole for hurting her, then finally caves, and taps Lois on the shoulder one night.

She's still working (even though it's seven o'clock) and she finishes typing a sentence, before turning in her chair and giving him an impatient look.

(He tries really hard not to focus on how gorgeous she looks today, or how she left her hair down and one of her curls is hanging in front of her face.)

"Lois, do you, umm…"

"Spit it out, Smallville," she says, not unkindly.

"Would you like to go to dinner?" he asks softly.

She looks at him disbelievingly.

"Seriously?"

Clark nods. Holds his breath. Waits.

IV.

They leave straight from work, and eat at a burger joint.

It's not exactly fancy dining, but it's comfortable.

They talk about everything, from work, to the time Lois got so fed up with Jimmy's snoring that she plugged his nose with nose-plugs in his sleep. Clark covers the bill, but Lois stubbornly insists on at _least _covering the tip.

He walks her to her car, and leans against the side of the vehicle, hands in his pockets.

"So," she says.

"So," he reiterates.

She feels sixteen.

"I had," she says, "a really nice time tonight. Thank you."

Clark smiles.

"I had a nice time too. Maybe we should do it again sometime. Like, I dunno, Friday," he responds.

Lois smiles.

"Yeah, Friday," she agrees, glancing down at her watch. "I should head home…"

He nods.

"Goodnight, Lois."

"Goodnight, Clark."

She still doesn't get in her car, and he still doesn't move.

Before he can second guess himself, he leans forward and kisses her.

It's a soft, hesitant kiss, and when he pulls back, she's got this funny look on her face.

"What?" Clark asks, aware of how quiet his voice is.

Lois shakes her head.

"Nothing," she says.

Then, before he can even think about kissing her again, she grabs him by the collar of his shirt and presses her lips against his.

V.

In the end, he decides it's way too late, and the roads are way too slippery from the rain for her to be driving her car, and insists (for her own safety, of course) that he drive her home.

She opens the door to her apartment, and gives him the tour.

It's a small place, but it's in a safe neighbourhood, and Lois seems to like it enough, which is the important thing.

He's about to leave, but winds up kissing her again, and she pulls him down onto the couch with her.

They've been kissing for maybe ten minutes, when he pulls back and leans his forward against hers. Lois smiles up at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling, and says,

"What?"

To Clark, it seems like the most obvious thing in the universe:

"I love you."

Her eyes widen a little, and she doesn't breathe for like, the longest ten seconds of his life.

"Lois?" he finally ventures.

"Say it again," she instructs.

He kisses the tip of her nose.

"I love you."

She wraps her arms around his neck, and rolls on top of him, kissing him. She pulls back after a few seconds, and when he caresses her jaw with the tips of his fingers, she murmurs,

"I love you too."

VI.

Lois stops by Jimmy's apartment the next day.

He opens the front door, and she can hear ABBA coming from the living room. She doesn't ask.

Instead, she says,

"So Jimbo, any plans for tonight? Because maybe, if you're free, you'd like to go to dinner with me and Clark."

It takes Jimmy a few seconds for her words to sink in, before he grins from ear to ear.

And hugs her. Which Lois pretends to mind more than she actually does.

**END**

**-**


End file.
